Fox News Hosts On Biden Debate Performance: Maybe He Was Drinking

During the vice presidential debate, Fox News hosts Sean Hannity, Eric Bolling, and Greg Gutfeld suggested that Vice President Joe Biden had been drinking or otherwise compared him to a "drunk." Biden reportedly does not drink alcohol, citing a history of alcoholism in his family.

Even Though Biden Reportedly Does Not Drink

NY Times: Biden Said "There Are Enough Alcoholics In My Family." An October 2008 New York Times article reported that Vice President Joe Biden reportedly "does not drink at all" due to family history:

Though Joe Sr. was not a heavy drinker, alcohol flowed freely in the Finnegan house and in the neighborhood. Joe Jr. saw the toll it took on his family, his neighbors and, later, on his little brother Frankie. "Every family had it," said Tom Bell, one of Senator Biden's childhood friends from Scranton who remains close to him. "But the Finnegans had more than their share."

Senator Biden does not drink at all, and he is frank about the reason. "There are enough alcoholics in my family," he said last month as he sipped cranberry juice on a train ride from Washington to Wilmington. [The New York Times, 10/24/12]

Fox Hosts Suggested Biden Was Drinking On Debate Night

Fox's Hannity: "I Wonder If Joe Had Some [Bourbon] Before The Debate." On a special debate edition of his Fox News show, Sean Hannity suggested Biden may have consumed bourbon prior to the debate:

HANNITY: I noticed that you guys were giving away bourbon to people over here.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): It's the home of bourbon.

HANNITY: I wonder if Joe had some before the debate. [Fox News, Hannity, 10/11/12]

Hannity: "Is There Bourbon In Uncle Joe's Glass?" On his Twitter feed, Hannity asked, "Is there is bourbon in Uncle Joe's glass?":

Fox's Bolling: "Mr. VP Is Interrupting And Laughing.. Is He Still Drinking?" Eric Bolling, co-host of Fox News' The Five, tweeted that Biden was "interrupting and laughing" and asked, "Is he still drinking?":

Fox's Gutfeld: "Biden Is The Drunk At The Bar." Greg Gutfeld, co-host of The Five, tweeted: "Biden is the drunk at the bar, Martha [Raddatz] is the unhappy bartender, and [Paul] Ryan is the unfortunate salesman caught in the middle":